Greetings, my friends! Our delicate blue marble has taken another turn, and now it’s Friday, November 8, 2019. Portland’s weather remains locked in its stagnancy, as we near the end of two straight rainless weeks with perhaps one more to go. A couple of wimpy disturbances slinking by to the north could squirt some negligible rain late Saturday night and Sunday, but otherwise, it’ll stay partly sunny with highs around 60 and lows near 45. Above my deck yesterday, the only clouds in the sky were provided by the expanding contrails of jets 36,000 feet high. Sunrise 6:59 AM, sunset 4:48 PM. Pacific Standard Time.
Stagnant air is leading to poor air quality, and right now, at 0400, Portland’s AQI is 64, and that’s considered moderate.
Nike is taking a pummeling in the press following allegations from a former world championship runner who says she was physically and emotionally abused at the Nike Oregon Project, run by coach Alberto Salazar. Mary Cain says Salazar pressured her to maintain a dangerously low body weight, chewed her out in front of other runners, and caused lasting harm to her self-esteem as well as her body.
Federal crime dogs are taking a bite out of one of Portland’s most violent and prolific street gangs, with racketeering indictments against four members of the Hoovers, which started in LA and took hold in Portland in the 80s. New members are initiated by having the stuffing beaten out of them, and members are required to use violence to answer any perceived slight or microaggression.
Did you know that Portland will soon be home to the Earl Blumenauer Bridge? The congressman himself was on hand as dignitaries bedecked in bow ties gathered to break ground on a bike and pedestrian span over I-84 at NE 7th Avenue, connecting the Lloyd District with the Central Eastside Industrial area. Should be ready in a little over a year.
Tektronix is laying off more people, though it’s not saying how many.
Nice job by an Oregon State Trooper, who grabbed a fire extinguisher and a garden hose and kept a house from going up in flames near Baker City yesterday.
Say, this is Veterans Day Weekend–the actual holiday is Monday–and celebrations large and small are scheduled across the Portland area, where people regardless of political tribe truly appreciate the sacrifice of men and women in uniform. One of our favorite events is the celebration in Molalla, where veterans of wars past and present will be venerated at the local middle school at 12:30. And up the road in the Kelso-Longview area, students have painted dozens of rocks with American flags, camouflage, yellow ribbons, red poppies, and other designs, and hidden them in plain sight all over town for people to find and share on social media, or give to a veteran in their lives. Veterans are important to all of our lives, and we owe it to them to elect civilian leaders with the wisdom and trustworthiness befitting the profound power in their hands and America’s existential role in the world. To all who serve–past, present, future–we are truly grateful.
Donald Trump was elected president on this day in 2016.
Lars Larson from KXL apparently went on the air on Fox News last night and outed the name of the whistleblower in the Ukraine matter. Fox immediately disavowed any confirmation of the ID of the person, whom Trump has said should be prosecuted for treason.
Dripstock tomorrow! It’s basically a relaxed social hour among new and old friends. I’m excited to say hello to each of you! We’ll be at the Willamette Ale and Cider House from 2 to 4 PM–the date was carefully picked to avoid a conflict with the Ducks or the Beavers
The Ducks have a bye this weekend, but there’s big college football in the Valley tonight as the Oregon State Beavers get a visit from the UW Huskies for a rare 7:30 PM Friday clash. You can find that game on the Pac 12 network, FS1, or good old 1190 KEX.
The Blazers, after falling to the LA Clippers 107-101 for their 3rd straight loss, are back in home-team-moda to host the Brooklyn Nets tonight. The Portland Winterhawks play in Vancouver, BC tonight, and return to play the same team tomorrow night in the Moda Center.
Fresh off their first Final Four in program history, the #1 Oregon Ducks women’s basketball team plays an exhibition game tomorrow against the USA Women’s National Team. The Ducks are led by reigning National Player of the Year Sabrina Ionescu–called by Sports Illustrated “Oregon’s Lean, Mean, Triple-Double Machine.”
High school football playoffs begin tonight at chilly stadiums across the region. They’ll all be packed, including the one at Parkrose High School, where the Wildcats, hosting Lebanon in the 5A opening round, are hoping for their first playoff win in school history. They already won their first conference title in half a century under–you guessed it: Head Coach Keanon Lowe. You can imagine the respect he has among the players, as well as the community at large.
Richard Marx is right there waiting for you at the Elsinore Theater tonight. And tomorrow night, there she is! Oregon’s Former Miss America Katie Harmon; she’ll also be a featured performer with the Singing Christmas Tree!
This was the day in 1972 when HBO launched its existence by beaming up a great Oregon movie: Sometimes a Great Notion, starring Paul Newman and Henry Fonda, from the great novel by Ken Kesey.
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Some good news in the Coffee Cup!
–“Woman Taught Her Dog To Speak Through A Soundboard, And It Now Knows 29 Words”
–“Lobster boat rescues deer 5 miles from shore”
–“‘Goodness and humor’ celebrated as ‘Sesame Street’ turns 50”
–“A new study suggests that cats bond with humans just as strongly as dogs”
–“Sergeant runs 15K in SWAT gear, saves a life and gets engaged in 1 day”
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Like radio stations all over the country, K103 flipped the switch to begin all Christmas music yesterday afternoon at 4:30. Some people are absolutely thrilled, others are appalled. I’d like to head off the inevitable commentary on the Daily Drip site. Although I’m on the air on K103 every morning, I think everyone realizes that the programming decisions are made by people better qualified than me. But those folks are active responders on the K103 Facebook page, and if you have strong views either way, I ask that you weigh in there, and come right back here. Thank you!
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